Patient Stories

With over 375,000 patients who have been helped with Balloon Sinuplasty technology, and hundreds more experiencing the minimally invasive procedure each day, there are many success stories from patients who have found relief from the painful symptoms of sinusitis.

These chronic sinusitis patients suffered repeated sinus infections, and many of them tried multiple sinus treatments, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications and antibiotics, before they experienced Balloon Sinuplasty. They have found symptom relief and better quality of lifefollowing the procedure.

Here are success stories shared by patients who have benefited from Balloon Sinuplasty:

— Hear their stories —

Dawn Burley, Student and non-profit caseworker

I would have always pressure in my face, just constant to the point where if I ever touched it or someone else touched my face, it would be painful. I also would have just kind of constant stuffiness. I had a really hard time going to sleep, falling asleep. I would always wake up kind of coughing, feeling like I couldn’t breathe.

Like, I would wake up every morning and kind of really slowly open my eyes and wonder if it was going to be a good day or if it was going to be a bad day. I actually was super-apprehensive about moving to the city in the first place because of my symptoms. For the first three years of living here it was a huge struggle. I mean, any time I would go on the subway — just the pollution and the dirt and the lack of oxygen — I immediately would feel myself getting more and more congested.

Because my sinus pressure would always lead to headaches I was told that maybe I had tension migraines, maybe I had allergies, maybe I had just some sort of chronic sinus infection.

So for a really long time I would use nose sprays because that was the only thing that would somewhat alleviate the symptoms, although it wouldn’t make it go away. And I got a lot of sinus infections, so I would, from time to time, take antibiotics for that.

I feel like I’ve had a lot of moments over the years where I have either thought to myself or said out loud, “I will do anything — I will do absolutely anything — to not feel this way for one more second.”

So I heard about the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure and just got really excited because it sounded like exactly what I wanted. And I always had said if I could just open it up and, like, take all the stuff out of my sinuses, just drain my face, that would make me feel so much better. So I talked to Dr. Silvers about the procedure. And I was really excited about the idea of having a solution.

As far as the procedure goes, it’s really fast. I was done within a half hour. It’s just a moderate pressure, which in no way compares to the pressure that I was feeling on a regular basis.

Since the Balloon Sinuplasty I feel amazing. I think I actually didn’t know how good I could feel until now, because it’s actually been so long that I’ve had these symptoms that I’ve forgot what it was like to just feel normal. So I can breathe much better. I sleep much better. I wake up more well-rested, even when I get less sleep somehow.

I really like to run, to work out. And now I’m able to do those things until my body gets tired, as opposed to feeling limited by not being able to breathe. I just feel so much better. I have so much more energy. And it’s so fun to feel like I’m just me again.

Marshall Faulk, NFL MVP, Superbowl Champion, Broadcaster

After my NFL football career, when I wasn’t working out every day of my life, my sinus problems started to magnify. When I was at work broadcasting, I started having severe post nasal drip and started taking allergy medicine and using nasal pumps.

I was trying just about anything, all kinds of homeopathic remedies and teas. I literally tried it all. I tried a hyperbaric chamber to see if I could get more oxygen by sleeping in one of those things. None of it worked.

It’s crazy that it was such a simple procedure to get done, to fix something that I struggled with for a long time.

After surgery, there was not a lot of recovery time, and when I think about how I feel now, it was an easy decision.

I tell others that Balloon Sinuplasty is a must!

Carrie M., Courtroom Clerk

Before surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, a typical day would start with a headache, sinus congestion, and ear fullness. Sometimes my sinuses were so swollen that I’d go out in the cold air to have them shrink. I’d place ice packs on my head to reduce the swelling. Then, I’d take various medications – Nasonex®, Clarinex®, and Excedrin® – and do a sinus rinse. If I went out to dinner in the evening, I’d refrain from drinking wine to avoid waking up with a headache the next morning. Sometimes, when it got really bad, I’d have to sleep sitting up. I was constantly thinking about my sinuses, day and night!

Now, I wake up in the morning and do normal things like everyone else does. I make my morning coffee, eat and drink whatever I want to, and only take Clarinex® during allergy season. If I forget to take it, it’s no big deal. I don’t have to worry about anything, and I feel like a regular person!

It’s been five months since the procedure, and it’s hard for me to remember when I had the surgery, because I didn’t have any pain or recovery to go through.

My life has improved 100%. I can golf on a windy day and travel to an out-of-town destination without worrying about pollen counts, or if I have all my medications and sinus care items.

Because I had so much more energy after the surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, my husband thought I was going through a mid-life crisis!

Sally M., 5th Grade Teacher/Caregiver to young son

When I suffered from chronic sinusitis, I would have a hard time sleeping at night, my breathing would be difficult, and the post-nasal drip was so bad that it would cause issues with asthma. I wasn’t able to exercise the way I wanted to – I missed a few 5K runs due to sinusitis. Finally, my sinusitis could be embarrassing at times – I had a lot of nasal discharge, which could be quite disgusting and required me to blow my nose constantly while teaching.

I had five previous sinus surgeries before surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology. After these prior surgeries, my face was bruised, I had a lot of bleeding, and I was in a lot of pain. I probably missed several weeks of work over the years due to these surgeries. It was frustrating to have surgery after surgery and not feel like I had remedied the problem.

It’s been a year and a half since the procedure, and I have felt awesome! I haven’t had lingering sinus infections like before, I don’t have the constant sinus pressure and headaches, and I can sleep at night.

Sherwin G., Allergist

I’m a practicing allergist, so I see patients in my practice who suffer from chronic sinusitis. I myself have been allergic for most of my adult life, and started developing chronic sinus problems a few years ago. Because I see a lot of sick patients, I probably pick up more colds than the average adult.

When I was having problems with sinusitis, I would feel embarrassed, because my patients were seeing me to get better, not to get sick. I didn’t feel like going out at night – if there was any way to get out of a social engagement, I probably would. Finally, I have five young grandsons, and I wasn’t always in the right frame of mind to spend time with them.

On the day after surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, I wasn’t out of commission at all. I could have gone back to work within 24 hours. It was really quite a positive experience.

It’s been a year since surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, and I’ve felt much better.

Since the surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, I have energy to work a full day and go out at night. It’s made a tremendous difference in how I approach my life. As for my patients who are suffering from chronic sinusitis, aren’t responding to medical therapy, and have the blockage like I had – I don’t hesitate to recommend surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology.

Susan C., Realtor/Salesperson

Before I had the surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, people would say to me, “You always have a cold,” because I was always congested. I had difficulty breathing, both during the day and night. It got to the point where I had to sleep sitting up. At work, I spend about 85% of my day on the phone, and I had trouble speaking at times because of my breathing. I had to curtail my phone usage.

Another result of my sinusitis was a complete loss of smell or taste – those two senses were completely gone.

In the past 7 months since surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology, I am actually able to close my mouth and breathe at the same time, which I was never able to do. I can speak on the phone with much more clarity, and don’t have to limit my phone usage like I used to. It’s also nice to sit down to a meal and enjoy my food.

Surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty Technology was the only option I could see for myself. I don’t like to take medications, so the prospect of taking medication for the rest of my life was unappealing. I tried acupuncture and herbal medicine, which helped, but it didn’t address my sinusitis on an ongoing basis.

My life has changed dramatically. The entire process of surgery with Balloon Sinuplasty was very short, pain-free, and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Important Safety InformationBalloon Sinuplasty Technology is intended for use by or under the direction of a physician. Balloon Sinuplasty Technology has associated risks, including tissue and mucosal trauma, infection, or possible optic injury. Consult your physician for a full discussion of risks and benefits to determine whether this procedure is right for you.